End of Innocence
by TheRealRenee
Summary: A vicious plot is being orchestrated against Lita - can Edge save her before it's too late?
1. Default Chapter

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The man couldn't help the slight grin that crossed his features as he entered the arena. 

He had a feeling as though he had just come home... 

It had been nine long months... The doctor had originally told him he wouldn't be able to return until after an entire year, but he'd defied the odds. He'd been doing exceptionally well - _so_ well, in fact, that, upon his last checkup, Dr. Andrews had given him the good news - he was cleared to return three months earlier than expected... 

Edge was thrilled. Wrestling was his life, his passion, and him bum neck had been the reason for his absence from it. Those nine months had been pure hell - but as time had progressed, it had become easier, and Edge had found something to look forward to. 

The roster split had come to an end while he'd been away. For that too, he was thrilled. He'd always found the split ridiculous. It was his contention that all the WWE superstars worked best when on _both_ shows. 

As he continued on his way down the hallway, several superstars who were hanging around greeted him. He exchanged brief niceties with them. 

A locker room door opened just as the tall Canadian was nearing General Manager Stephanie McMahon's office, stopping him. 

"Hey! Look who's finally back..." 

Edge turned at the sound of his friend's voice, a smile coming to his face again. 

"Rob! How are you?" he asked. The two friends gave each other a friendly, masculine hug. 

Rob Van Dam chuckled as he eyed his friend. 

"Great...Just great, man. So, it's official? You're finally fully cleared?" 

"Fully cleared..." the blond man replied. He gave the other man a thumbs up. "And let me tell you, pal - I can't _wait_ to get back in the ring...I did a little OVW, but it's not the same - not by a landslide..." 

"All right! Cool, man..." RVD said with a smile. "I'm looking forward to kicking your ass again," he joked. 

"Be prepared to get your _own_ ass kicked!" Edge replied with a laugh. "I'm back, better and _badder_ than ever..." 

"Awesome..." 

"Look, Rob - I have to go to a meeting with Stephanie...I'll see you later, okay?" 

"Sure thing - great to have you back, once again..." RVD gave his friend one last friendly nudge on the shoulder before trotting away down the hall. 

Moments later, Edge was at the door to the General Manager's office. He knocked, and Stephanie's voice called from within. 

"It's open!" 

The blond man pushed the door open, slinging his bag higher up on his shoulder as he entered. 

The brunette was behind her large oak desk, and she offered him a bright smile. 

"Edge - it's so great to have you back! Sit down, sit down..." She gestured toward one of the twin chairs that was situated before her desk. 

"Thanks, Stephanie..." he replied, giving her a smile of his own. He was glad that Vince McMahon had somehow decided to allow his daughter to continue on as General Manager. Stone Cold Steve Austin had resigned shortly before the roster split had ended, opting to instead return to in-ring action, and Linda McMahon had demoted Eric Bischoff due to his inappropriate behavior. 

"I'd like to discuss your new storyline - now that you're back, we want to put you in one immediately," Stephanie said. "After all, you've been a crowd favorite for some time now...Even while you were out, fans would proudly display their signs saying how much they missed you." 

"Groovy..." Edge said with a smile, and he wondered what the brunette had in store for him. 

"Here's what we're going to do..." 

Part 2 

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	2. Chapter 2

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"Well, well, well..." the man muttered as he stared into the TV monitor in his locker room. "Just look who's back..." 

"So, the rumors proved to be true..." the other man, with whom he was sharing the locker room, muttered. 

Chris Jericho smirked as he turend to eye Christian. 

"Well, he _is_ your brother...I would have thought you'd know..." 

"Hey," the other blond man said, holding up his hands. "Edge and I don't speak, so why _would_ I know?" 

"Okay already!" Jericho said, hoping Christian would just calm down. "All I'm saying is that guy's gonna be trouble..." 

"Oh, don't I know it...Don't forget how he screwed me out of the Intercontinental championship two years ago..." the short-haired blond snapped, an angry expression dominating his face. 

"I remember," Y2J assured him. "You got a raw deal, Christian..." 

"You're damn right!" Christian snapped. "And I'm not gonna let that ungrateful punk screw me over again..." He pointed a finger at Edge on the TV screen, where the tall blond man was involved in a match against Randy Orton. 

"Maybe we should gather up a couple of other guys and take care of the problem of Edge..." Jericho suggested, his gaze traveling from the monitor to his friend. 

"You know, that's not such a bad idea..." 

"Test and Triple H aren't all that fond of him..." 

"Triple H? Why would 'The Game' have anything to do with us?" Christian asked. "He thinks of himself as so high and mighty and the rest of us as mere peasants..." 

"Maybe Trippy'll agree to help us out," Jericho said. "A couple of reasons he might go for it - one, if we let him be our 'leader,' and two, I'm sure he'll want to take Edge down a few notches - especially if he gets put into a number one contender's spot for the World title..." 

"Okay, I see your point..." Christian said, nodding. "Not a bad idea...If anyone could come up with a good scheme to screw this guy, Triple H could do it..." 

"What can we do to get to Edge, though?" 

Y2J's handsome face broke into a broad grin as he glanced from Christian to the TV monitor. 

Christian's gaze traveled back to the screen, and a smile brightened his countenance as well. 

Now in the center of the ring, awaiting an opponent for the next match, stood Lita... 

Christian glanced back at his friend, and he found himself feeling a great appreciation toward Jericho. Of course... He'd always known that Edge was fond of the redheaded diva - and in face, this brother had once admitted to having a bit of a crush on her little more than a year earlier... It would be _perfect_... 

"Chris, you're a _genius_..." 

Part 3 

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	3. Chapter 3

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Lita felt a thrill rush through her as she executed a Twist of Fate on Victoria, then climbed the top turnbuckle to hit a moonsault on the other diva. One, two, three - it was over. 

God, she hadn't experienced that in over a year and closer to a year and a half. It felt good, and so satisfying, to have the ability to wrestle again. It was her life, her passion. She'd trained so diligently to step through those ropes and do this for a living. The adrenaline she felt from doing so and from the roar of the crowd was unbelievable. 

Of course, she was also ecstatic about being able to see her friends again. She had missed them so much, even though she'd been out of commission with her neck injury. 

The redhead felt an extra bounce in her step as she returned to the back, smiling as she greeted co-workers. 

"Well, well... What have we here?" a smug voice said almost tauntingly from behind her. 

The diva turned around reluctantly, forcing a smile for the man's benefit. 

"Hello, Hunter..." She felt her guard, as well as the fine hairs on the back of her neck go up, as Triple H was not exactly someone she would call a 'friend' - _or_ an acquaintence, for that matter. Lita had never been all that friendly with him, but it wasn't because _she_ hadn't been nice. In fact, when she'd first joined the WWE back in early 2000, she'd approached the man and introduced herself. Although she'd been nervous, she'd been extremely cordial - but all _he'd_ done was merely grin and proceed to check her out obscenely. Afterward, the new diva had felt the overwhelming urge to take a long, hot shower. 

"It sure is nice to see your back," he continued, then let out a chuckle. "_And_ your front." Triple H allowed his beady amberish-brown eyes to linger longingly over Lita's breasts. 

"My eyes are up _here_," she snapped, thoroughly annoyed and disgusted. She waved one hand in front of him while the other pointed toward her eyes. 

The bulky, muscular man laughed. 

"Yeah - I _know_ that, but those aren't what I'm interested in, honey." 

The redhead scowled. 

"You really are a _pig_, you know that?" she said bluntly. She knew she was probably asking for trouble speaking to him that way - after all, the bastard was pushed all the way to the sky in the company and was Vince McMahon's favorite despite the fact that he and the boss' daughter, Stephanie, had divorced more than a year ago - but she couldn't help it. She was not the type of girl to put up with such crap. 

"You know," he began, a small smile still on his arrogant face, "you _really_ shouldn't talk to me that way." He moved closer to her until she was pressing her back up against the wall, wishing to shrink through it. "It really isn't beneficial for you to be such a bitch toward me." His sly grin vanished, only to be replaced by an annoyed scowl. "I can _break_ you - just _remember_ that..." 

"What the hell is going on here? Hey!" a new, albeit familiar and most welcome male voice suddenly called. Lita and Triple H both looked up to see Edge heading straight toward them, the tall blond man's handsome face not pleased as he came to stand toe-to-toe with the redhead's burly harasser. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Helmsley?" the Canadian spat, glaring directly into the other man's eyes. He was just slightly taller than Hunter, maybe by as little as an inch, and although he was by no means bigger or stronger than the World Champion, Triple H backed off by a couple of steps. Lita was grateful for that and for the blond man for coming to her rescue when no one else would. She moved away from the wall to stand at Edge's side, slightly behind him. 

"I _think_ I'm having a talk with the lady, _Edge_," the large-nosed man said, emphasizing the other man's name obnoxiously. "And it's _none_ of your business..." 

"Like _hell_," the Canadian said, his green eyes glittering with fury. "You were hitting on her and persisting when it was more than obvious she wants nothing to do with you... And I am _making_ it my business." 

Hunter glared back at the younger man but chuckled with amusement. 

"Okay, tough guy... You win - _this_ time." Gone went the smirk. "But if you stick your nose in my personal affairs again, you'll _pay_ for it... Consider yourself warned." With that, Triple H walked away, leaving Edge and Lita alone. 

"_Thank_ you for coming to my rescue, Edge!" the redhead exclaimed with relief. She threw herself into the tall, handsome blond man's arms, hugging him tightly. 

The Canadian hugged her back, noticing how very good she felt in his arms. 

"Well... I couldn't let the creep bother you like that..." 

Lita pulled back, a small smile on her face as she appeared to be considering something. Then, to Edge's surprise, she suddenly stood up on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his cheek. 

"Thanks again..." 

Part 4 

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	4. Chapter 4

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Triple H was burning mad as he stormed down the hallway toward his locker room. In fact, that was an understatement - he was downright furious. 

He'd never really liked that Edge, and, to add to his dislike, the man had actually possessed the nerve to defend Lita against his advances. Who the fuck did Edge think he was, anyway? 

The Game's hands clenched into tight fists as he recalled the confidence and ease with which the other man had approached him and the redhead. The Canadian was a lot smaller than him, and Triple H knew he could _easily_ take him in a fight. How had Edge actually had the nerve to stand up to him like that? 

The burly man shook his head, a frown coming to his face. He guessed the answer would remain just another one of those mysteries. Whatever the case, he was furious and vowed one thing to himself - he was going to take revenge on Edge. He'd teach that meddlesome loser not to butt into his personal business. 

As he rounded another corridor, Triple H looked up to see a familiar form heading directly his way - Chris Jericho. Although he and the other man had never really seen eye-to-eye, and certainly had never been what anyone would call 'friends,' he humbly had to admit that now, he _did_ respect the man. 

"Hey," Y2J said, one hand extended in a friendly gesture. 

Triple H arched an eyebrow, wondering what the blond man could possibly want - and it was obvious he wanted _something_. 

"Hey, Jericho... What do you want?" 

"Look," Chris began, "I know you and I have never been friends or anything, but I need to talk to you." 

The Game again arched a brow, his guard going up. The smaller man _did_ want something from him. 

"Why?" he asked suspiciously. 

Jericho ran a hand through his long hair in an unconsciously nervous gesture. 

"Would you come talk with me in my locker room? It's private." 

Helmsley stood his ground, still not trusting of the other man. What if Jericho had some sort of ambush planned on him? Who knew _what_ the blond man was capable of? 

"Why?" The Game repeated. 

"Look... I have a little proposal to bring up to you - actually, a plan. I think you might benefit from it." 

"A proposal, huh? A plan? And what might this be concerning?" 

Jericho's face broke into a conniving, and somewhat evil, grin. 

"Not 'what' - 'who.' We're gonna get to Edge," he replied in sotto voce. "We're going to hit him where it'll hurt the most..." 

* 

Several minutes later, Triple H was esconced in Chris Jericho's locker room, along with Y2J himself, Christian and Test. The Winnipeg resident explained how he'd come up with a master plan to make Edge's life miserable - and how his brother and the larger Canadian also had a problem with the man. The three of them had loosely discussed a strategy beforehand, deciding it was time to approach _him_. 

"So, let me understand this," Hunter said, gesturing with both hands. "You want me to be the leader of this mission..." 

"Right," Jericho said. "After all, you _are_ The Game." 

Again, Triple H felt suspicion coursing through him, but this time, it wasn't long-lived. Pride made way, and he couldn't help smiling. Yes, he _was_ that damn good... And these three underlings _knew_ it - or else, they would never want _him_ as their leader. 

"What does this plan of your entail, Jericho?" he asked. He knew Chris had been the one to get this brainstorm to begin with, and he was damned curious as to what was going on in that devious blond head of his. 

"One word - Lita..." 

_Lita_... The name resounded in The Game's head. Yes, it was perfect. Edge was obviously sweet on the redhead, and to hurt him the most, she would be the idea target. 

"We hurt Lita to get to Edge?" Triple H asked rhetorically. The not-so-distant memory of the tall blond man moving in on him when he'd been kicking it to the diva ran through his head. Hell yeah, this was a _brilliant_ idea. As much as he hated to say the next words that were in his mind, he spoke them nonetheless. 

"Jericho, you're a genius..." 

Chris smiled, realizing that this was the second time in a single night he'd been told that. 

"I _thought_ you'd appreciate it." 

Part 5 

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